The Günter Wand DVD has a bonus interview with the conductor—Michael Berkeley is the interviewer…Wand says some very insightful things about Bruckner, and it is definitely worth watching the interview before listening to the performance.

The 5th Symphony, Bruckner’s most austere work, is very well suited to Wand’s architectural approach, particularly in the last movement where pride of place is taken by a fugue and then a magnificent double fugue. Wand delivers a very compelling performance. His conducting is light on gesture and emphasis, but communicates a clear vision of the 5th symphony’s complex structure. The final coda rightfully brought the house down.